The Mid-Week brief is an unfettered look at what the press is saying about passenger rail — if you see something you dislike, or know to be inaccurate, don't hesitate to reach out to those responsible for the article by using the comment board of a linked website, or emailing the publication directly.

The Washington PostFaster trains, more seats and WiFi that works?
The $2.45 billion federal loan that officials awarded this summer to Amtrak will help pay for those upgrades and more as the railroad continues its push to modernize service and rebuild aging infrastructure along the busy Northeast Corridor, including in the Washington region.
The package is the largest single loan ever given by the U.S. Department of Transportation.READ MORE

The Badger HeraldThe University of Wisconsin has the largest population of students in the state, The fact that Amtrak doesn't have a station on campus is ridiculous. Guess who's behind it. Our good old buddy Gov. Scott Walker.
For those who don't know, Amtrak is a public rail system that runs across the nation and prides itself on providing a high quality, safe and punctual transportation system. Apparently, it's also supposed to be greener than both automobile and air travel. It sounds like a pretty neat setup.READ MORE

MISSED AN ISSUE OF THE HOTLINE MIDWEEK BRIEF?VISIT AND SEARCH THE ARCHIVE TODAY.

The New York TimesTo the list of famous things that have been discontinued only to be resurrected later — Marvel Comics, the Muppets and Twinkies, to name but three — add bar cars on the Metro-North Railroad.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy of Connecticut announced plans to buy 60 new coaches for the New Haven line. Ten will be cafe cars, as a news release from the governor's office described them.READ MORE

RailwayAgeBrightline's first Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotive has successfully completed initial testing and operated for the first time, powered by its Cummins QSK95 diesel engine, on the quarter-mile test track at the Siemens manufacturing facility in Sacramento, California.
"This signifies another major milestone for the production of Brightline's trains as the company has now approved production for all locomotives currently being built by Siemens," said Brightline Senior Vice President of Railroad Operations Gene Skoropowski.READ MORE

The Associated Press via WLNS-TVThe first streetcar for Detroit's new light rail system has arrived in the city.
The QLINE streetcar was delivered nearly two months ahead of initial projections. Final assembly and mechanical checks will be completed over the next few weeks before the streetcar makes its first appearance on Woodward Avenue.
Passenger operations are scheduled to start in spring 2017. It is the culmination of the M-1 RAIL initiative that began in 2007.READ MORE

The Associated Press via WCAU-TVThe Philadelphia area's main transit agency has pulled its repaired rail cars from service after discovering a new problem.
Earlier this summer, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority sidelined 120 rail cars to fix beams in their suspension systems, and it began returning some of them to service this month.READ MORE

The AtlanticAmtrak was created in 1971, a year after Congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act to revive train travel in America (the name Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and track). Every year, over 30 million people — including, famously, Vice President Joe Biden — ride Amtrak trains. This past summer, Amtrak got a $2.5 billion federal loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation to upgrade its trains to include faster trains with better seats and WiFi.
More than 20,000 people work at Amtrak, on its trains and in its stations nationwide.READ MORE

The Real DealA lawsuit to block All Aboard Florida (AAF) from developing passenger rail service between Miami and Orlando is raising questions about the Coral Gables-based company's ability to extend the service from South Florida to Central Florida.
AAF, a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, LLC, is building three railroad stations in South Florida in Phase I of the development of its Brightline passenger rail service, scheduled to start operating next year.READ MORE

The Morning CallIf you're one of the many Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, residents who fantasize about taking the train to New York, you should know that it will remain just that — a fantasy.
Freight rail giant Norfolk Southern Corp. owns much of the tracks to New York and it will not be sharing those tracks with passenger trains, spokesman Rudy Husband said, a day after making a similar comment at a development forum.READ MORE